Further Re-entry Insights

It’s been over 4 years since Connie and I moved back to the USA from our 26 years in Kenya. I shared a few thoughts at our 3-year mark (read here). Since that time, I’ve had a few more a-ha moments.

TAXES – I’m finally on board with how to file as a full-time resident, including the peculiarities of filing as an ordained clergy. I’m now on equal footing with the rest of you in the ongoing American tax fog.

VOCABULARY

I say “amazing” more than I ever did. It slips out by accident, signaling it’s in my default system.

My idioms are increasingly about sports, technology, movies and classic American phrases. I no longer use wildlife comparisons, 4-wheel drive talk, or roadside purchases in my conversations.

HENDRICKS COUNTY MINDSET – I’ve come to the conclusion that I need to enter deeply into the mindset of the county where I live, to understand people better and to be more relevant to people here. It’s very unfair of me to expect people to quickly grasp my experiences and learnings from East Africa if I don’t first grasp what’s central to their lives. So far, this is my observation of what Hendricks County people primarily talk about and spends their time on:

Family and school

Sports

Technology

Security/Safety

Weather

Church

When I consider my responsibilities in bringing attention of God’s global work to our church, I try to incorporate at least one of these aspects in the sharing of information or opportunities for service.

MISSIONARY THINKING – much to my liking, this remains as necessary as ever. I keep looking at things that people do, post on social media, laugh at, spend their money on, etc, and I ask myself, “Why?” I’ve found out some important things that matter to my line of work:

People at church look to their church as the central place for their faith journey. This includes opportunities for service, growth, connecting, and permission to do more.

The majority of Hendricks County people take in information via technology, pictures, and books. Information I have to pass on needs to be in these forms.

Stories are enjoyed by people for information, but transformation is not a given just because someone hears a story. The story has to be relatable to a person’s life if it’s going to bring about change.